When In Manila and you want to indulge your family or friends to a sumptuous and authentic Italian cuisine, you should definitely dine at Italianni’s!

The night was just starting and a group of three “single” individuals decided to meet and dine out to talk about each other’s life story. Here’s the thing, the conversation didn’t last. Why? Because they were treated to a festival of Italian cuisine courtesy of Italianni’s.

Italianni’s Greenbelt 2 branch will greet you with their nice facade, and yes it say’s that this is the restaurant to be with friends and family!

But before I share you what the three “single” individuals ate. They were greeted by the good ambiance of the restaurant’s Greenbelt 2 branch. It was cozy and perfect for a night of bonding with friends, and as well as for small family gathering. It is as they say in Italy, perfetto!

The ambiance inside Italianni’s is perfetto!

(Italian for perfect)

So, now I can talk about the food. The food was beyond what the three expected, they have been to many restaurant that says “We serve ‘authentic’ Italian Cuisine” but no one does it like Italianni’s. When they say we’ll serve you with good food, they do it! The three was served the famous Italianni’s Sicilian Chicken Salad.

Loyal Italianni’s eater would always order a platter of Sicilian Chicken Salad (Php 650).

Priced at 650 pesos you’ll be served with a platter of generous amounts of crispy romaine and fruits like mangoes and red grapes with an anchovy dressing. The salad is best eaten with a dash of olive oil and freshly ground pepper, just like what the three did. “I enjoyed the presence of mangoes and grapes on it,” one says while enjoying the salad platter.

And then came Italianni’s Scallop Melt, which is by the way not listed on their menu but you could always ask your server if this could be made especially for you and your company. The dish gives you an intricate flavors of the sea. With a serving of fresh scallops and shrimps topped with mozzarella cheese and generous amounts of tomatoes and basil.

Italianni’s Scallop Melt will truly delight your palate with the flavors of the sea.

The three are not yet done eating the foods served on their table when Kristel, their server, arrived with a plate of Shrimp Penne Mascarpone and Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillet.

The Shrimp Penne Mascarpone is a light cream sauced pasta dish that is served with succulent shrimps topped with mascarpone cheese. This is best enjoyed with a right amount of freshly ground pepper.

Italianni’s Shrimp Penne Mascarpone is perfect with it’s al dente penne pasta.

While a generous serving of deep fried Dory coated with Parmesan cheese with caper cream sauce which complements its texture. The fish is gastronomically prepared with the “best” mashed potatoes and buttered vegetables. Just a little advice, don’t forget to ask your server for an additional caper cream sauce!

Parmesan Coated Fish Fillet is beyond perfection! The crispy crust of Parmesan cheese complements the soft texture of the Dory.

Italianni’s Shrimp Penne Mascarpone is priced at Php 525 and could be enjoyed by 2-3 individuals. While the Parmesan Coated Fish Fillet is priced at Php 395 for a lunch serving and Php 595 for the regular serving.

And when the three thought that it was already the end, they were surprised by Kristel with the Angus Steak Pizza of Italianni’s. This pizza is not your ordinary pizza but could beat them!

The Angus Steak Pizza is just amazing!

The pizza is topped minced angus beef, green bell peppers and caramelized onion. On top of that all ingredients is a mozzarella cheese. The dish is priced at Php 575 and will be enjoyed by 3-5 individuals. The three suggests that when you try this, which we strongly suggest, you should drizzle the pizza with a right amount of red hot sauce.

Oh yes, before I forgot; since the other two would be up early for their work tomorrow, we decided to get Italianni’s healthy selection of shakes. I got the Passionately Papaya, Marla ordered the Ginger Watermelon and Reen enjoyed the Fruity Carrot with Ginger. All are priced at Php 140, the richness of the fruits are just overwhelmingly good! Just as when Italians says that a meal is not complete with wine, shakes could be called in as substitute!

The refreshing Italianni’s Fruity Carrot with Ginger, Ginger Watermelon and Passionately Papaya.

Of course a great and sumptuous meal wouldn’t be complete without the delectable desserts which Italianni’s has on their menu. So as a parting gift, they provided the table with Tartufo and Red Velvet Cheesecake! I’ll have the pictures tell you the story, because in just a click of the camera it went missing! That’s how delicious it is!

The Red Velvet Cheesecake‘s creaminess is just right and perfect!

The creamy white chocolate cheesecake on top of a red velvet cake layered with semi sweet chocolate chips and topped with cream cheese icing. Oh, and it’s drizzled with chocolate ganache and dusted with red velvet crumbs. Need I say more? Wouldn’t that makes you remember your sweet childhood? It’s priced at Php 395 only.

Tartufo, a treasure for chocoholics, is a three layered chocolate cake with dark and white chocolate mousse covered with a rich and fudgy chocolate frosting. It’s strategically placed in the middle of a not-that-sweet milk, which complements the sweetness of this yummy dessert.

Tartufo is a piece of heaven for chocoholics like the author.

That dinner was just perfetto, and no other words could define it. The food was great, the ambiance was cozy and the staff of Italianni’s Greenbelt 2 are accommodating. They even obliged for a photo op, and they deserve it. You know that you’re in a really great food server when you’re at Italianni’s. When they say it’s worth trying, you should definitely have it! With them you’ll definitely learn what delizioso della cucina Italiana (delicious Italian cuisine) means! Don’t forget to say grazie!

Italianni’s staff with two of their loyal costumers.

In celebration of The Bistro Group’s 50th Anniversary they are slashing off 50% on the Sicilian Chicken Salad every Wednesday until August 29. Don’t miss out this real great deal, visit Italianni’s on that day!

When in Manila you should definitely indulge yourself with authentic and delicious Italian cuisine from Italianni’s. Which has branches over the metro: SM Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 2, Glorietta 4, Bonifacio High Street, Gateway (newly renovated), Greenhills, Robinsons Midtown, Trinoma and the newly opened Lucky Chinatown. Italianni’s also have their branches at the Marquee Mall in Pampanga and Nuvali at Sta. Rosa.